Learning Love
by Corinne Marie
Summary: Written for the 30 Drabbles in 30 Days challenge. Hermione realizes she's in love with Ron. Now with Ron's POV on Hermione! Updated daily. Rated T for minor language, I think, although I can't remember.
1. Not Quite Sapphire Eyes

**A/N: Finally, a story that isn't late! In fact, I may have written this is somewhere around 2 hours. It's supposed to be a drabble, for the 30 Drabbles in 30 Days challenge by Mystii, but I'm not sure if 300-something words counts as a drabble. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I was JKR. Unfortunately, as I don't have a magic lamp, I'm still just Corinne, which means that I own nothing.**

**Also, the prompt for today's challenge was sapphires. I hope you don't mind that it was only briefly mentioned.**

Hermione had stayed up half the night doing homework. Not because she had a lot of it, but because she really just couldn't sleep. Something was bothering her, and she didn't know what it was. That was the worst part of the whole thing, not knowing. There was nothing she didn't know except, apparently, herself.

She had finally fallen asleep, though, in the wee hours of the morning when her body couldn't take being awake anymore. And because she had simply allowed herself to fall asleep then, she hadn't quite made it up to her room. In fact, she was still lying on the couch in the common room when Ginny roughly shook her awake.

"You might want to go up to your room. People are going to start coming down soon, and you sort of look like hell."

"Well, there's no need to protect my feelings, Gin," she said, touching her hair.

Ginny laughed. "I know," she said, helping her friend up. "Now get upstairs and make yourself presentable."

* * *

Hermione was late for breakfast, and it was obvious that Harry and Ron had noticed. At least, it was if the way they watched her when she walked in was any indication. When she sat down and they were still staring, she looked at Ginny and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"You've just never been late for anything before," she replied.

"Where were you?" Ron asked, his blue eyes searching hers for an explanation, and she suddenly felt better, like whatever it was that was bothering her disappeared when he looked at her.

"I was just getting dressed and everything." She thought about his eyes. They were such a pretty blue.

"She was up really late last night. Why is that, by the way?"

"I was doing homework." They weren't quite sapphire. A little lighter, maybe. Why was she even thinking about this?

"You still have homework to do?"

"Yes, I guess I do," she said, distracted by her thoughts. "I mean, I did."

"Someone's a little distracted this morning," Ginny said, almost under her breath.

Hermione glared at her. "Don't start with me Ginevra Molly Weasley."

Ginny laughed, nearly shocked by the use of her full name. Both boys just stared at them.

Hermione stood abruptly. "I think it's time for class."

"Classes don't start for nearly fifteen minutes," Ginny said smugly.

"Then I'm going to go wait for class to start." And with that she walked away, with Ginny giggling behind her, and the boys still wondering what had just happened.

**A/N: And you can expect a new chapter tomorrow! Reviews=Love. Give the writers some love, would ya?**


	2. Love?

**A/N: Yay, Day 2! Ron is not in this chapter, so I'm sorry to all those of you who are just here for the fluff. It's coming, I promise! The prompt for today was: ****Love? What do I know about love?**

Hermione sat alone in her room, trying to think of something to do to avoid going down to the common room. She didn't know why her encounter with Ron earlier in the morning had unnerved her so much. He was her friend, and she saw him every day. She had only been thinking so extensively about him because she was tired.

She lay down in her bed, hoping that sleep would come and she'd stop acting so silly. But for the life of her, she couldn't even slip into an uneasy nap. Something was definitely wrong here.

She sat up when she heard the door open, and saw Ginny standing there, her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.

"You are in so much trouble."

Hermione looked at her quizzically, and said, "What?"

"Oh, no, I'm not mad at you or anything. I'm just saying that you're in _serious_ trouble."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, enunciating every word.

"You're in love with my brother."

Hermione looked shocked, but that soon passed. "You're crazy."

"No, no, everything is pointing towards it. The fights, you not being able to sleep and leaving so awkwardly this morning…"

"No, that's wrong. You don't fight with Harry."

"I suppose you're right, but we're already together. We don't need those kinds of childish games."

Hermione chose to ignore that. "Why do you say my insomnia is a factor?"

"You didn't see him last night."

"What?"

"We were at Quidditch practice, and by the time we got back, you were already in your room. You felt uneasy because you hadn't said goodnight to him."

"I didn't say goodnight to Harry either."

"Does he know you use him as an excuse?"

"Ginny," she said, a warning in her tone.

"Alright, I'll drop it. Oh, one question."

"What?"

"If it's really not true, it's okay for me to tell him and Harry my theory, right?"

"NO!"

"Gotcha,"she said with a smirk. And then she left the room.

Hermione sat for a little while longer, still just thinking. _Love? What do I know about love? That's just silly._

But somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that Ginny was right.

**A/N: More for you tomorrow! Remember to spread the love!**


	3. Hundreds of Times

**A/N: It is currently 1:03 am, and here I am, posting this for all the lovelies that reviewed. Thanks to all. Also, I hereby dedicate this chapter, the longest and least drabble-y, to my aunt, who always embarrasses me by catching my typos. The prompt for this chapter was Hundreds.**

**Disclaimer: Still can't find that damn magic lamp...**

Hermione wandered down the stairs in the early hours of Saturday morning, hoping to avoid Harry and, more importantly, Ron. She had to wonder, why now? It was just ridiculous.

To her dismay, the Common Room wasn't as empty as she'd hoped. Harry and Ginny, entwined in a kiss that must have rivaled the one that got her in trouble with Ron, were sitting in her favorite chair next to the fireplace. Deciding not to disturb them, she started to turn and go back up the stairs to her room.

"Hermione!" Ginny called after her.

"Oh, well, it's nice to see you. I thought for a moment you weren't ever going to come up for air."

"Don't tease." Ginny said, without moving out of Harry's lap, although he was looking at Hermione, too, his glasses slightly askew. "Go wake Ron up. We're going down to breakfast soon."

"Are you sure? Just think of what he'll have to say about this."

"Just go," Ginny said impatiently, and Hermione, with a smile, started to walk up the staircase to the boys' dorm.

She'd been up to their room hundreds of times and had never knocked before, but considering the time, she thought it was only polite to do it this time. When no one opened the door for her, she poked her head inside and saw that everyone—except for Harry, of course—seemed to be asleep. She crept in and walked to Ron's bed.

He had kicked his blanket off again. He did that sometimes when he had nightmares, and she wondered idly what he'd dreamt of the night before.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Ron, it's time to get up."

"No it's not," he mumbled, pulling his pillow closer to his chest, like a teddy bear.

"Ron you're going to miss breakfast," she whispered, and he opened one eye to look at her.

"I don't care," he said, and then he turned away from her. She rolled her eyes and sat down, leaning over him to whisper in his ear.

"Your best friend is snogging your sister in the Common Room right now."

He rolled over so that he was looking right at Hermione, who was still leaning over him, and she wondered why she hadn't moved when he seemed to have woken up.

"Why would you tell me that?"

"It woke you up, didn't it?" She still hadn't moved.

"Sure, but still." He started to sit up, and neither of them was paying attention to how close they actually were. And when he looked up, their lips brushed together lightly.

Hermione blushed and stood, unsure of what to say, and left his room as quickly as she could, rushing downstairs only to be met with the sight of Harry and Ginny, still sharing the chair.

She scoffed loudly, hoping to catch their attention. Unfortunately, they were too lost in each other to notice. A moment later, she heard Ron making his way down the stairs. She turned to look at him, trying to formulate a plan to keep him from seeing Harry and Ginny like this. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled down so that she could look right at his face. And then she started fixing his hair.

"Ouch! 'Mione, that hurts!"

"Well, maybe if you'd combed it yourself, it wouldn't," she said, a bit more harshly than she had to.

He looked at her as if wondering what he'd done wrong, and then walked past her. Ginny and Harry, who seemed to have heard them talking, were standing at the portrait, waiting for them.

Ginny linked arms with Hermione as they left. "You aren't very subtle," she whispered. "But, thanks."

Hermione smiled at her, and kept walking, deciding not to mention what had happened in Ron's room.

**A/N: For ObsessedRHShipper, I hope this was the type of "moment" you were looking for. :-)**

**Keep the love coming!**


	4. In the Sunshine

**A/N: I love you guys. You wouldn't believe how much I enjoy getting your reviews.**

**Here's another chapter for you. The prompt was Sunshine. **

The bright sunshine of the morning filtered through the branches of the tree they were sitting under, doing their homework.

_Well, some of us are doing our homework, anyway._ Hermione thought, looking at Harry and Ginny, giggling and smiling at each other. She turned to Ron, who seemed to be at least trying to concentrate on his work, but the warmth of the day was obviously distracting him.

"Oh, alright, let's take a break," she said, mostly for Ron's benefit.

"Good," Ginny said, still looking at Harry. "Wanna go for a walk, Harry?"

"That's really just code for 'let's get away from Ron so we can snog without his knowledge'," Hermione muttered. Ginny glared at her, and Ron looked up from the page he was still trying really hard to follow. He looked at Harry as if wondering if it was true.

"Hermione, you and I will have words later," Ginny said, and then the two of them walked away.

Ron sighed, frustrated, although Hermione couldn't really tell what about. She looked at him, and he was, once again, trying to focus on whatever he was working on.

"Can you please help me with this?" he asked, looking up and meeting her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Charms."

"Oh, that essay on…"

"Yes, that essay. And I don't even care!" He threw his paper and quill onto the ground, but was careful not to spill the ink sitting next to him on the ground.

"Calm down, I can help you with it."

"Good. I'm completely lost."

She picked up the parchment he'd been writing on. It wasn't bad, for the first three sentences. Unfortunately, either he'd been writing in invisible ink, or he hadn't gotten any farther. "Well, not completely. Your facts are all right. And there's so many more that you can add." She moved over to sit closer to him. The smell of the grass and the parchment in front of her hit her nose at once, along with something that she couldn't quite describe, except that she only smelled it on him.

The realization hit her suddenly, and she was surprised that someone as smart as she was hadn't caught it before. That was the scent from the Amortentia potion. Of course she hadn't placed it before; she hadn't been looking for it. And the combination of all those scents together was almost too much to take.

"Actually, I think I'm going to go back inside. It's a little too hot for me out here." She stood, and then turned back to him. "Are you coming?"

He stood. "Of course. Otherwise I'd never finish this."

She helped him pack his things away, determined to fight this…this whatever it was, and they walked back inside together, leaving Harry and Ginny to wonder where they'd gone, if the couple ever came back.

**A/N: And that's it for today! Come back for more tomorrow, and remember to keep reviewing! :-)**


	5. The Tower

**A/N: Another day. I'm really sorry for the weak ending on this one. I hope you like it anyway. No moments in this one, unfortunately.**

**OH EM GOSH I forgot about the prompt! Thanks ObsessedRHshipper for reminding me. This lovely chapter was brought to you by the prompt "Moonlight".**

Hermione liked the Astronomy Tower on nights when the stars were mostly covered by clouds so the students wouldn't come up to watch them. Those were the only nights she would consistently break the rules, just so she could spend the night—or at least most of it—bathed in moonlight.

That night, however, she was joined by Ginny, and they took food smuggled out of the kitchens for a small picnic.

Once they were settled, watching the clouds roll across the sky, Ginny addressed the 'problem' at hand.

"So what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that your brother smells like that stupid potion."

"No, you're saying that the Amortentia potion smells like my brother. There is a distinct difference."

"Alright, fine, so I love the smell of your brother, that doesn't mean anything."

Ginny laughed.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I just don't understand why you think it doesn't mean anything."

"Because he's my best friend…besides you. And it just can't mean anything."

"Alright, whatever you say," Ginny said with a smirk.

"Ginny, this is not funny. What if it does mean something?"

Ginny laughed louder than before. "I'm just waiting for you to realize that it does."

Hermione swatted at her. "We're going on the assumption that it doesn't mean anything, Ginevra."

"Alright, alright, it means nothing. So what could it mean?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It could just mean that I feel comfortable around him."

"Ah, but we have to remember to factor Harry in here somewhere. You don't fight with Harry the way you fight with Ron, remember? And you didn't smell him in the potion, and trust me, he smells fantastic."

"You don't fight with Harry the way you fight with Ron either."

"Well he's my brother."

Hermione made a noise that sounded somewhat similar to a groan. "I think we should just pretend…"

"Pretend like you don't feel anything?"

Hermione sighed. "Pretend like I haven't been thinking about this for the past two weeks."

Ginny stared at her friend with a smile. "Oh, well, it'll all work out in the end."

Hermione leaned back against one of the walls. "What makes you so sure?" she asked.

"It's strangely enlightening to be in such a great relationship with someone that you've waited so long for."

Hermione laughed. "It's almost unfair that my advice got you exactly where you wanted to be, and yet I can't seem to help myself."

**A/N: Keep giving me love! I need it!**


	6. Not Thinking of You

**A/N: Kay, here's a short one for you. Sorry it wasn't longer, but I really like the way it is now. The prompt for today was: Fiery orange hair**

She was bored. That was odd. How often did Hermione get bored during class? But somehow, she was. In fact, she couldn't seem to keep her mind on anything now. Except….

No. She refused to think of the boy with fiery orange hair sitting on the other side of Harry. He was her friend, nothing more. She would make herself forget the things she felt when he was close enough for the smell of him to penetrate her nose. She would let go of the desire to touch him when he was close to her.

Sighing, she leaned forward and rested her chin on her arms on the desk in front of her. Today was going to be a long one. She turned her head and found herself looking right into those perfect blue eyes. He made a funny face and she stifled a giggle and turned back to the front of the room, avoiding seeing his smile in return. Why did he have to be so cute at a time like this, when she was so confused? More importantly, why did this have to be the one thing she didn't know how to deal with? It was enough to drive a girl crazy.

When class was over, they started walking down to lunch, and she was careful not to stand too close to him, but she couldn't keep herself from laughing at his jokes. What had made him so funny today, of all days? It just wasn't fair.

She would forget about this. It was just a normal day. She wouldn't let anything about him mean anything, and that was final.

So why was this so hard?

**A/N: :-)**


	7. Things to come

**A/N: Okay, so this one's kinda sad. I know I cried when I wrote it, but that's just 'cause I was remembering Dumbledore. The prompt for this chapter was "Marked".**

It was a sad day. Dumbledore's funeral was held on a dark, dreary day, only adding to that fact. Hermione could feel tears running down her face even before she left her room, and they were only partly for her fallen headmaster.

As the days passed, it was getting harder to forget the dangers they were all in. Especially her, being a Muggle-born. But Harry was in even more danger than she was, and that was terrifying. And after this summer, they'd all be marked people.

Ginny found her in her room, still crying, unable to stop. She wrapped her arm around her and helped her stand up while she did her best to wipe the tears away. She was unsuccessful, and when they reached the common room, she felt someone else's arms around her. She immediately knew who it was, and she leaned into Ron's strong chest without question.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she sobbed, still fighting the tears back. "I'm really t-t-trying to st-st-stop…"

"Shhh, it's okay," Ron whispered into her hair as they walked outside. It seemed to calm her down just a little.

The funeral seemed to last forever, and she was glad she had Ron for support. He held her the whole time, and she cried on his shoulder.

After it was over, she went back to her room to pack her things. She had finally stopped crying, but she knew she looked terrible, so she went directly to the bathroom to wash her face.

She heard a light knock on the door, which opened to reveal Ginny, with the other girls from Hermione's year standing behind her, all of them looking worried. Hermione smiled sadly at their reflections in the mirror, and then turned to address Ginny.

"I'll be okay. I just have to go pack."

The girls made a path for her as she walked out of the bathroom, but only Ginny followed her to her bed, fortunately.

"I just can't believe he's gone."

"I know."

"And that we'll be gone soon."

"You'll be back," Ginny said, sending a pointed look towards the other girls.

"Oh, I know, but it's still so….."

"I know," Ginny said, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder.

They sat there like that for several minutes, avoiding the task of getting ready to leave, before Hermione finally stood up and started to pack for real, focusing only on the task at hand.

**A/N: Review, please.**


	8. A Warm Summer Day

**A/N: Another day! I was feeling particularly romantic when I wrote this, and therefore created a lovely moment out of it. The word of the day was Blissful.**

Hermione lay out on the grass, just enjoying the sunlight. It was nice, being at the Burrow. It felt so much like home now.

She felt someone fall heavily to the ground next to her, but she didn't open her eyes. The someone next to her lay down in the grass too, and she reached an arm out to figure out who it was. Her hand hit his stomach harder than she had expected it too, and knocked the wind out of him.

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to him. "Oh, I'm so sorry Ron," she said.

"It's alright," he said, one hand over his stomach, as if to protect himself from further assault.

She sat up on her elbow and they just looked at each other. She tried to think of something to say, but couldn't. Before she could come up with something, Ron spoke.

"Are you alright?"

She laughed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, at the funeral. It seemed to have hit you harder than anyone else."

"Oh. That." She fell back down into the grass, but moved closer to him when she did. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you scared?"

She sighed. "A little." She pressed herself closer to him, despite the heat of the day, just for the comfort of being closer to a friend.

"You know, I thought about what he said. About backing out." She sat up and looked at him, appalled. "I'm not going to. I was just considering."

"But you know this is important!"

"I know, 'Mione, and I'm not backing out. I just…I was thinking about it. And not going with you both….I just can't do that. I made a promise. Besides, I couldn't just sit at home wondering if you were okay."

She leaned back into him. "Just don't say things like that, okay?"

She felt him nod. "Okay."

His grip on her tightened, and she wrapped her arm around his waist so that they were lying in a position that could only be described, in her opinion, as blissful. She hoped that, one day, she could feel this comfortable again.

**A/N: Woo! I really like this chapter. Review and tell me if you do, too!**

**Also, this may be an odd time in the story to do this, but tomorrow's chapter will not be in Hermione's POV. Just saying.**


	9. Dreams

**A/N: Wow, this was unexpected. The prompt for today was "Groan". Enjoy!**

Ron woke up and groaned into his pillow. How was he supposed to go downstairs and face her after _that _dream? It just wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to have dreams like that about his best friend. No, it wasn't a matter of "supposed to". He was not allowed to think of Hermione that way, he wouldn't let himself.

But Merlin's Beard, that was a good dream.

He rolled over when his bedroom door opened and Ginny was standing in the doorway. "Mum says it's time for breakfast, and that she's not going to say it again."

Ron sighed and sat up, and Ginny left the room. He dressed mechanically, trying hard not to think, knowing if he did he'd think of her and that stupid (fantastic) dream. He walked down the stairs slowly, hoping that maybe by the time he got down to the kitchen everyone would be finished. No such luck, especially considering that Mrs. Weasley seemed to have recruited Hermione to help with the huge task of making breakfast for all the people staying at the burrow. Seeing her in an apron didn't help.

"Good morning, Ron," she said cheerily as he entered the room, and he couldn't help thinking how ironic it was that she was acting so nice to him today. Of course, Hermione was usually nice. He was just noticing it more today.

All throughout breakfast he tried not to watch her, and failed miserably. What was it about today?

**A/N: Hmmm….Probably could have had more to this, but I liked the parallel with the chapter from Hermione's point of view where she was trying not to think about him. What do you think?**


	10. UhOh

**A/N: Why are these ones so short? I really don't know. Anyways, I got a kick out of this, and I hope you do, too. Today's prompt was: "Why in the **_**world **_**would you do **_**that**_**!"**

Ron was only a little worried when Fred and George came down the stairs that afternoon, laughing and smiling significantly when they saw him trying to help Hermione salvage a game of chess against Ginny.

He thought nothing of the fact that they kept shooting looks at him all day.

Or that they smiled whenever he was doing anything with Hermione.

No, those were relatively normal things for them. He wasn't worried until they came up to his room later and said, "You're welcome."

He looked up at them from the book he was reading, and said, "I haven't thanked you."

"But you will," Fred said with a smile.

"Once you find out what we've done."

And that was when he got really worried. "What have you done?"

"Just helped you out with Hermione, that's all," Fred said.

"Um, I really don't need 'help' with Hermione."

"Oh, yes you did."

"Did?"

"Oh, yes. After the letter we sent, there won't be any more problems."

"You sent her a letter? What did it say?"

"Nothing," they both said at once.

"Angelina wrote a poem for us, though," Fred said.

"YOU TOLD SOMEONE ELSE!"

They both laughed. "Don't worry, we can trust Angelina," George said.

"I don't care! Why in the _world_ would you do _that_? Of all the things you could have done!" They both laughed again, but Ron was genuinely distraught.

"Oh, calm down, it wasn't bad," George said.

"For a love poem, anyway," Fred finished.

"You had Angelina send her a LOVE POEM? FROM ME?"

"No," Fred said, "It was anonymous."

"Of course, she did use Errol."

They were laughing as he chased them out of his room.


	11. Say Goodnight

**A/N: Love this chapter! It made me so happy to write this. The prompt for today was: Empty. And I was gonna go somewhere angsty with it, but it came out like this.**

Nothing in his room seemed to be out of place. And yet, he felt uneasy. Of course, he was still worrying about when Hermione would get that stupid letter they'd sent. He still couldn't believe they'd done that, and he was glad she hadn't gotten it when he was with her.

Still, he made sure to check the room thoroughly before he sat down anywhere. As he'd thought, nothing was different.

He fell backwards onto his bed and covered his face with his hands. It had been a long day. Suddenly he heard his door open, and he sat up quickly. It was Fred and George. He picked up his wand and pointed it at them.

"Get out," he said calmly.

"Seems he's still mad at us, Fred."

"That's too bad, George. I guess he doesn't want the present we got him."

"You're right, I don't," he said, an edge to his voice that they'd rarely heard.

George threw something across the room and it landed in his lap face down. "What is it?" he asked, not bothering to look at it.

"Well, obviously it's a book," Fred said.

"The best book."

"Though you probably shouldn't let Hermione see it."

"See what?" she asked from behind them.

Without thinking, Ron shoved the book under his pillow, and the twins both said, "Nothing" at the same time.

Ron got up and shoved them out of his room. "It's really nothing. Just something from the shop that they wanted me to test for them."

She turned to them. "You know, that's not very nice."

"We have to test these things somehow," George said as they walked away.

Hermione sighed. "Now I'm going to be up all night, worrying that you'll play some horrible prank on me if I go to sleep."

"I wouldn't do that. Not to you, anyway," he said, again without thinking. She turned and smiled at him.

"Thanks, Ron." They smiled awkwardly at each other for a few seconds, and then she muttered something that sounded like, "Oh for heaven's sake" and pulled him into a hug. He held her to him tightly, and regretted it when she pulled away. His arms felt empty without her there. "Goodnight," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Goodnight," he said, just as quietly, wishing he had the guts to ask for another hug, at least.

**A/N: Well, that's it for now loves! I hope you liked this chapter as much as I did!**


	12. Another Hug

**A/N: Does it seem like these are getting, I dunno, cornier? Anyways, the next chapter should have the part where Mad-Eye dies. That'll be painful, but it'll fit well with the prompt. Today's prompt, however, is "Raving".**

It was early morning the next day when Ginny came bursting into Ron's room, effectively waking him up.

"Ron, you'd better get down here. Hermione's yelling about something."

"What is she upset about?" he asked, groggily.

"I don't know…Something about a letter. She's yelling at Fred and George."

Ron was up and out his door as soon as she said the word 'letter'. By the time he was downstairs, she still wasn't winding down. He could tell, because her voice was still getting more and more shrill.

"What on Earth were you thinking? Did you think it was funny? I just can't believe you would even…"

Ron entered the room, but didn't say anything. He'd never seen Fred and George look so sheepish. However, as much as he tried to blend into the wall, she turned to him soon after.

"You had better not have been in on this, Ronald Weasley, or I swear…"

"Not at all. I didn't know anything about it. Don't know what you're talking about, in fact," he said, talking so quickly that he stumbled over his words.

She didn't believe him. That was obvious. But she did let up in her yelling, turning to the twins and saying, "Don't let it happen again."

She stormed away, leaving the boys alone in the room. Fred and George started laughing as soon as she was out of earshot.

"She was so angry," Fred said between laughs.

"Sounded like a raving lunatic."

"Don't laugh!" Ron shouted. "She was obviously really offended. I told you it was a bad idea!"

They didn't stop, and he shoved one of them, knocking them over. "Hey!" they both yelled at once.

"I told you to stop. Don't you think she's going through enough right now?"

"Everyone is."

"And everyone needs a laugh now and then."

"Alright, but you don't need to get your laughs by picking on her." He turned and started to walk out, but stopped in his tracks when he saw her standing behind him, looking at him curiously. "I was just…"

She smiled and threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she said.

"Um, you're welcome."

**A/N: Sorry for the late post, kiddies. More tomorrow, and I'll try to have it in quicker.**


	13. Eavesdropping

**A/N: Man, I wish I hadn't stayed up til 3 last night, and that I woke up before 2 today. Then this wouldn't seem so rushed. Wouldn't be a problem if I had that magic lamp. Either way, I kinda like it. The prompt was Continually.**

Ron walked down the hall as if in a daze. Far too much had happened that day. Bringing Harry to the Burrow wasn't bad, but the loss of Mad-Eye…well it was just too much.

On the way back to his room, he heard a noise. At first, he wasn't sure what it was, so he stopped. And then he heard it again. A gentle sob. From the girls' room. He stepped to the door and listened for a moment.

"It's alright, Hermione. You don't have to be scared."

"I know," she said with another sob. "I just…I'm just sick of these nightmares all the time."

"Hermione, Ron's okay. He didn't die tonight, alright?" What the hell? She was having nightmares? About his death? He hated the thought that she was worried about him, but at the same time, it was a little...well, interesting, to say the least.

"I…I know. But don't you ever worry about Harry like this?" There was a silence in which Ginny probably gave her a significant look, which gave Ron enough time to wonder why Hermione was comparing herself and Ron to Ginny and Harry. "Oh, sorry, it's probably a lot worse for you. I forgot." Oh. That made sense. Because she only thought of him as a friend, an entirely different feeling than Harry and Ginny. That was almost painful.

"Either way, yes, I do worry about him. More than you could ever actually know. But for now, we should just get some sleep. Tomorrow's the wedding, after all."

Hermione sniffed. Audibly sniffed. Which meant that she was done crying for now. "Alright. Well, thanks, Gin. I'm going to go get some water, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes."

Ron panicked. She could not come out here and see him. He started to rush down the hall, making as little noise as possible, but tripped. His body landing on the floor wasn't nearly as loud as it could have been, but Hermione had to have heard him.

"Ron, what are you doing out here?" Hermione asked.

"I-I-I tripped," he stuttered.

"I can see that," she said, a smile on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just curious as to why you just so happened to fall outside my room."

"Um…Well…You see…"

"Ron. Eavesdropping isn't nice."

"I know," he said sheepishly.

"And?"

"I'm sorry."

"And?"

"And what, Hermione? I don't get it."

She stopped badgering him, shook her head and helped him up, pulling him into a hug as she did so. He marveled at the fact that she seemed to continually end up in his arms. "Goodnight," she said, letting go and turning towards the staircase.

He smiled at the place where she'd been seconds before, and then turned and headed back to his room. Ginny was right, tomorrow was a big day.

**A/N: Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I will have this done sooner tomorrow. I'll be up earlier, at least.**


	14. Beautiful

**A/N: In an attempt to hurry this chapter along, I couldn't wait for my aunt to get online and help me out with facts, so I stuck to what I know. Therefore, no dialogue. I think it's kinda jumpy, actually, but it's okay. The prompt was Dreamily.**

He couldn't help noticing how fascinated she seemed. Well, not exactly fascinated. But she kept looking at things dreamily, as if fantasizing that this was her big day. Whatever she was thinking about, he hoped she kept thinking about it, as long as it kept that look on her face, that look of sheer joy. Who knew when they'd get to just enjoy a day like this again.

She smiled as Bill and Fleur said their vows, and he stared at her, even if she didn't notice that that's what he was doing. She did look fantastic, despite what Aunt Muriel had said. And as odd as it may have seemed to anyone else, he couldn't help thinking that he really liked the way her ankles looked with those shoes.

And then, when the ceremony was over and the three of them went to find a table to sit at, she was beaming, and he shouldn't have thought it, but he liked seeing her smile, just like that, and wanted to take a picture of her in his mind. Nothing could wreck his mood. Except maybe Krum. But, in a moment that surprised even him, Ron asked her to dance.

If someone had asked him if there was anything more beautiful than Hermione's smile, he would have said no. But that was before he watched her dance. She seemed extremely self-conscious, but she soon loosened up, and he wondered where he'd been looking while she was growing up, becoming such a beautiful person…

He forced himself to stop thinking about that sort of thing. He should have been avoiding those thoughts all day, but he couldn't. As much as he tried to close out his attraction to her, he couldn't. So he seemed to have stopped trying. He couldn't really blame himself, just as he wouldn't be able to blame someone else if they were thinking this sort of thing about her. He'd be jealous, of course, but that was beside the point.

The point was, she was very attractive. It didn't actually mean he was in love with her, as he'd begun to suspect. He couldn't be, and he wouldn't be.

But wouldn't it be incredible if they were in love with each other?


	15. Bright

**A/N: I'm so sorry I didn't post this yesterday! I completely forgot. The prompt was Brightness.**

Ron hated Voldemort. Of course, everyone hated Voldemort. But Ron had a special kind of hate for him, the kind that you only got when someone had done something to upset you personally.

Ron hated Voldemort because of Hermione. Sitting in that café, watching her worry, he couldn't help but hate him.

There was a time that Ron hated Hermione. As much as he would never admit it to anyone else, he had once hated her. She was such a know-it-all. And they were always fighting over the dumbest things. But even then there was something about her, something he couldn't quite place than, and that he couldn't see in her anymore.

"I'm worried about him," she said when Harry had been gone for awhile, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"He's fine, 'Mione," he said distractedly. And then he stared at her for a second.

"What?" she asked, noticing almost immediately as she always did. "Is there something on my face?"

"No, no, it's just…It seems like there's something different about you. Like there was something there before, in your face that just isn't there now that you're always worried. I thought it was coming back at the wedding, but…"

She smiled. "Yeah, my father always used to say there was a sort of brightness in my eyes, something pure and childish. Innocent, I suppose."

"It's gone now. I kind of miss it, whatever it was."

"Well, if it was childish innocence, it was bound to disappear anyway," she said, turning her eyes back to her book.

Ron sighed. "I hate him."

"We all do, Ron," she said looking up at him. She reached out and took his hand. "But think of it this way. If he didn't exist, we never would have really gotten to know each other." She gave his hand a quick squeeze, and then stood, saying, "I'm going to see if Harry's alright."

Okay, there was that, but he still hated him.

**A/N: There will be another one later today, I promise.**


	16. Hold My Hand

**A/N: I decided to do something a little different with this chapter. It's all dialogue! I've never actually done that before, but I think it works for this chapter. The prompt was Closed.**

"Hermione, please, just for once, accept a little bit of chivalry."

"No, Ron, it wouldn't be fair to you or Harry. If everyone sleeps on the floor at least it's fair."

"No, it's not fair that you don't have a comfortable bed to sleep in."

"It's not your fault, and therefore not your problem."

"It is my problem. And I'm sure Harry would agree. Take the couch, 'Mione, someone should get some use out of it."

"No. That's final."

"At least take the cushions."

"If I do that, I may as well take the couch."

"Why don't you, then?"

"Fine, I'll take the stupid cushions."

"No need to get angry, Hermione."

"Oh, stop laughing at me."

"Hey, you're smiling, too."

"That is beside the point, Ronald."

"Do you need another blanket?"

"No thanks. Goodnight, Ron."

"'Night."

"Why are you staring at me? Again?"

"Sorry. It's just, when you closed your eyes, you looked so peaceful."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Okay, well, 'night."

"Ron?"

"Hm?"

"Will you…will you hold my hand until I fall asleep?"

"Sure. All night, if you want me to."

"Thanks."

"You need to smile like that more often."

"Like I'm tired and scared?"

"No…Like you can actually stand to have me around sometimes."

"Ron, you know I love…having you around."

"Thanks. Goodnight, Hermione."

"'Night."


	17. Silence

**A/N: This is late. Obviously. Looks like you guys will be getting two chapters again today. The prompt today (yesterday) was Opened.**

**A special thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I love you guys. Thanks for making me keep up this ridiculous fluff that I would think was just awful if you guys didn't like it.**

It was dark when she opened her eyes, and as much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Everything was quiet. Even the birds weren't awake yet.

Wait. Everything was quiet. That couldn't be right. She glanced at Ron's bed, and found that she was right, he wasn't there. She stood and stretched, and then walked to the entrance of the tent. She sighed contentedly when she saw both Harry and Ron sitting together, talking so quietly she was surprised they could hear each other.

There really weren't words to describe how glad she was that she hadn't lost them the day before. Ron especially. She could have done a better job with his arm, if she hadn't been shaking so much.

She walked out of the tent and stood between them. They kept talking, but she wasn't really listening to their conversation. Ron was sitting on the ground, and she reached a hand out to touch his hair, and Harry held her other hand. Ron leaned into her, and they all stared towards the sunrise. Harry and Ron stopped talking, and silence filled the space around them.

None of them felt the need to talk. Words weren't necessary. She absentmindedly stroked Ron's hair, and wondered briefly if it was a nervous habit left over from when she had Crookshanks. He didn't seem to mind.

None of them made any attempt to move as the sun peaked at them through the trees. It was as if they thought they would never have to face their task if they didn't move from that spot. There was something about the way the sun was rising made them think that everything was going to be okay, that they'd all survive this against all odds. She continued playing with Ron's hair, and he leaned into her even more. None of them found any of this odd.

Hermione was the first to move, walking back to the tent alone, but she didn't go in. She stood at the entrance, watching them with a small smile on her face, focusing on the red hair she was just playing with.

_What would I do without him? I mean, without them?_ She thought, forcing the first part out of her mind. She couldn't think about that sort of thing now. They had work to do.

**A/N: This one was odd, and it may be slightly inaccurate. Actually, that may happen increasingly more often. Bear with me, I don't own the books.**


	18. Dancing and Decisions

**A/N: Hey, everyone! Guess what! I'm skipping a prompt. I really wanted to use Dancing for today, so that's what I did. Not that most of you have seen the list anyways, but still. Enjoy!**

**Also, I'd like to point out that this chapter was not intended to be from Harry's point of view, and it was extremely difficult to keep it about Ron and Hermione when written this way, so it probably won't happen again.**

They were all in a good mood. They'd managed to get a bit of food from a nearby town, and the locket was sitting on one of their beds, unable to affect their emotions, so everyone was full and happy, especially Ron.

There was music playing softly on the wireless in the corner of the tent. Ron stood and turned it up a little, and then returned to where his friends were sitting.

"Wanna dance, Hermione?" he asked, a wide grin on his face, and she took his hand and stood.

Harry laughed as they danced, watching them smile at each other, and wondered how they could possibly be the only people in the world who didn't recognize their feelings. It was so obvious to everyone else.

Hermione fell to the floor, laughing and smiling, her face flushed with happiness. Ron sat next to her, and she leaned into him. He stared at her, a smile on his face, and there was such tenderness in his eyes.

"Look," Harry said, and they turned to look at him. "I know you've said before that you want to help me, but I don't want you to feel like you have to. Wouldn't it be easier for you to just go back to having a normal life?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head.

"You know we aren't going to change our minds, Harry," she said, taking Ron's hand.

"Yeah, we hate him as much as you do."

"Besides, even if Ron made them believe that I'm not a Muggle-born, how long do you think that will last?"

"And if she's staying, so am I."

"You just can't be outdone by a girl, right Ron?"

Harry interrupted what may have become anything from a stream of light banter to an argument. "I just can't help thinking you'd be better off without me."

"Face it, Harry, we're not going to leave you," Ron said.

_Of course,_ thought Harry, shaking his head, _They're brave enough to fight Voldemort, but not brave enough to admit their feelings. Ridiculous._

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for all your support!**

**PS to TheFlyingCat: I'm sorry that these chapters aren't longer. I'm really terrible at making a series of long chapters.**


	19. Feelings that don't make sense

**This is a few minutes late, but I'm sure you guys and gals don't mind. **

**Honestly, this time, I have no idea how I feel about this chapter. It seemed really...off topic. But anyway, the prompt today was Flower Garden. Also, if there's a chapter you weren't too fond of for any reason, tell me, and I'll try to avoid past mistakes.**

"Hermione?"

She didn't answer. She'd been keeping silent a lot more these days.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," she answered shortly.

"Are you sure?"

"Harry, if you weren't going to believe me the first time, why would you even ask?"

He left the tent to stand next to her. "Because I know you miss him."

She shrugged one shoulder.

"And you're not being honest."

She shrugged with the other shoulder.

"I just want to know how you're feeling. Because I've feeling bloody lousy for fighting with him like that."

"Would you believe that I'm thinking about my mother's flower garden?"

"Maybe…if you explain what you mean."

"When I was just a little girl, my mother used to sit in the garden with me, and we used to talk about…things."

"Like what?"

"Look, I don't really want to talk about it, okay?"

"Fine. I'm just going to…go take a nap. Or something."

"Fine."

When he left, everything was quiet, and she had plenty of time to think.

She really was thinking about her mother's garden. It had been her refuge since she'd grown too big for her Daddy's lap and started to think that maybe boys didn't have cooties after all, because that's not something you can say to a man, especially a daddy.

Her mother was the first person she'd informed when Viktor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball, and when her mother sent her a letter in return, it included a picture of the garden. That had made her smile, and they'd sent the picture back and forth every time they talked about boys. It was comforting, especially when Ron did something stupid, like now.

She wished she could send a letter now. At least she'd have someone to talk to. Harry wouldn't understand the strange rush of emotions she didn't want to face. It just wasn't logical. She shouldn't have to face things that didn't make sense.

**A/N: Well, obviously this was just after Ron left. Bit of a time stretch in there from the last one. Figured I'd show Hermione feeling a little bit sad.**


	20. Can't Go Back

**A/N: Not late! The prompt for today was Truthfully. I think it may be slightly inaccurate, but that's okay. It's fan fiction, after all.**

**So, I may not be able to get to where I want to be with just the 30 chapters, so this story may be longer than originally anticipated.**

"Ron, Fleur made dinner. Did you want some?"

"No." he answered blandly, lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Bill walked farther into the room, leaning against the wall opposite his bed. "Do you want to talk?"

"No," he said again, still not looking at his brother. The wireless was playing softly in the corner.

"Look, I know you're feeling guilty, and maybe talking about it could help."

"Truthfully? No, it won't help. I left the two people I care most about in the world and I can't get back to them. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay."

He turned to look at his brother, leaning on his elbow. "She was crying, Bill. I heard her crying and I didn't go back. I should have, but I didn't."

"Mm-hm."

"I miss them, Bill. I made a huge mistake."

"That I can agree with. But don't start getting all sentimental on us."

"I have to find them."

"Why don't you start by leaving this room and joining us for dinner?"

Ron chuckled. "I suppose that would be a good start considering I have no idea where to look."

"Good. I'll tell her you'll be down in five minutes."

Ron stood, stretched, and started to pull a shirt on over his head.

Suddenly he heard a soft voice whisper, "Ron."

That couldn't be right. It sounded like Hermione. But it couldn't be. He must have just misheard something on the wireless.

But it had come from his pocket, he was sure of it. But there wasn't anything in his pocket except…

He pulled out the Deluminator and held it to his ear. That was definitely Hermione's voice. Something about a wand…He couldn't make it out, but it was definitely Hermione.

A light left the tiny device in his hand and flew out the window. He grabbed his jacket and ran down the stairs, shouting something to Bill and Fleur that was probably incoherent, but that he hoped sounded like, "I've got to go" and then ran out the front door to where he'd last seen the light. It was the only chance he had to get back to h—them.

**A/N: Still in denial? I think so. Reviews = Love!**


	21. Love

**A/N: Ugh, late again! But I have a really good excuse for that. I was at my graduation ceremony yesterday. Granted, that was only for an hour or so, but I was also trying to help get the rest of my family here and settled in. Anyways, yesterday's prompt was Maniac.**

There was something bothering him. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, but it certainly was annoying. Like a fly that he couldn't swat or an itch he couldn't scratch. He pondered for days what it was that he found so irritating.

The answer came to him a few days later when he tried for the millionth time to get Hermione to have a civil conversation with him. It seemed quite odd that after she had seemingly cried her eyes out over him, she didn't want him anywhere near her.

He'd doubted Harry before, of course, about far more important things, but this was different. Not only was he dealing with the fact that Harry may have been lying about how Hermione felt about him, he also had to think that maybe, just maybe, Harry had been lying about so much more. What if he and Hermione did feel…well…that way towards each other?

He had to talk to her about it. No, that was a bad idea. But at the same time…

There was no way to not be around her. They really didn't have any place to go to get away from each other, and whenever they spoke, which wasn't much, she was always only as nice as she absolutely had to be.

Finally, he couldn't take anymore. "Hermione, I said I was sorry. What else do you want me to do?"

"You think saying you're sorry will just magically fix everything?" she said, glaring at him.

"I came back, Hermione. I know that I left, but I came back. I know I should have turned around when you called me, I know I was a terrible person to you and to Harry before I left and I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I saved his life, I destroyed the locket, which was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done, and I let you hit me and yell at me like a maniac because I know that's what I deserved. Can you please give me a break?"

She looked angry all over again, and he wished he hadn't said anything. And then, without warning, her eyes welled up with tears and she buried her face in her hands. He pulled her into a hug without thinking about it, and she leaned into him, crying on his shoulder.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that. He just knew that he'd missed stroking her hair to calm her down when she was upset. He'd missed feeling her arms around her neck. He'd missed _her_. Even more than he'd missed Harry, he'd missed Hermione.

And then the thought filled his head completely, so that there was no space for any other coherent thoughts. He loved Hermione. And not the sort of love he felt for his family or even for Harry. As much as he'd been trying to avoid admitting it, even to himself, he couldn't stop himself from thinking it now.

He was in love with Hermione Granger.

**A/N: And it only took seven years! Anyways, there will be another chapter today. It'll probably be posted around midnight my time.**


	22. Lies

**A/N: The prompt for today was Lies. This takes place immediately after the last chapter, just to clear up any confusion. Also, I'm SO sorry this wasn't posted last night. I totally forgot about it. **

"Hermione, I need to talk to you about something."

She hoped he wasn't going to ask what she thought he was going to ask. "What is it?" Her voice was a little muffled as her face was still pressed against his chest.

"Harry said you cried when I left. I was just wondering…"

"Only when you first left."

"Oh? Okay." He almost sounded sad.

She didn't know why she decided to ask, but she really wanted to know. "What did the Horcrux show you?"

He was silent for a very long time. At first she thought he wasn't going to answer. And then finally he did. "It told me I was going to get my family killed. It showed me Ginny being tortured to death by…"

She pressed herself closer to him. "I'm sorry," she said, even though she knew he was lying. He knew she was lying, too, so maybe she deserved it.

Silence fell over them again, and she wondered why it was so important for her to know what he'd seen. It shouldn't have been important, what was important was that he had faced his biggest fear. And despite what he'd done, she couldn't help but…respect him for that.

She thought back to that night in Grimmauld Place when she'd asked him to hold her hand. "You know I love…" She was one word away from saying something she couldn't have taken back. If she had said it, though, maybe he wouldn't have left. But had she really felt it then?

Did she feel it now?

**A/N: And why is Hermione still contemplating? …I actually don't know. We're almost to the end!**

**A special thanks to my faithful R&Rers. Your input is appreciated.**


	23. Worth Fighting For

**A/N: So I know how late this is. I'm so sorry, I really am. These past few days have been kinda crazy, what with graduation and stuff. Yesterday, my computer was doing funky things. I'm not even sure what was wrong with it. And today I got a tattoo (A rose, if you were wondering). So I haven't had much of a chance to write and edit. I will update two or three chapters tomorrow, promise. Today's prompt was Gone.**

**And because a few people have asked, I really did try to make this one longer.**

She woke up thrashing around from a nightmare that she remembered all too vividly. She wished she could be one of those people that forgot what they had been dreaming about, but she never did.

As soon as she opened her eyes, her fear grew when she looked around the room and saw that Ron had disappeared. She was shaking madly when someone touched her shoulder. She turned to see Fleur sitting next to her looking sad and assumed the worst.

"Where's—?" She started to ask, but Fleur stopped her.

"Everyone iz outside."

Hermione stood and, despite Fleur's objections, started to head out to the yard. Ron turned and saw her coming, and she resisted the urge to run to him, to be in his arms again. When she reached them, she was shocked at what was going on. Dobby was lying on the ground, a knife in his tiny chest. She wanted to cry. Ron wrapped an arm around her when she reached him, and she finally felt safe again, despite what had happened to Dobby.

When it was over, and Dobby was appropriately buried, Harry asked for a moment alone. As soon as they got back into the house, everyone tried to find something else to do. Fleur went to the kitchen, Bill followed her, and Ron pulled Hermione up the stairs.

She fell to the floor as soon as she entered the room she had been in before, tears streaming freely from her eyes. Ron fell next to her, holding her as close as he could as she rocked back and forth in his arms, sobs racking her body.

"Shh, shh," he whispered, planting a kiss in her hair. "It's okay, you're okay now."

She wanted to stop crying. She wanted to not have to cry anymore.

"I j-j-just don't know if I c-c-can d-d-do it. I'm s-s-s-so scared."

He nodded, but it was so small of a nod that she wouldn't have been able to tell if his chin wasn't resting on her head.

"I d-d-d-don't want to l-l-l-lose anyone else. I know wh-what we're f-f-fighting for, b-b-but…"

"Shh, Hermione, it's okay, you won't lose anyone else tonight. Go to sleep."

"I c-c-can't. I-I-I'll have nightmares."

"What if I hold on to you? I'll make sure nothing can hurt you."

She pulled away from him to look into his eyes. He looked just a little uncomfortable for a moment, and then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I-I-It's just…Dobby's gone. And Mad-Eye. Th-th-they…It d-d-didn't seem like…"

"I know," he muttered against her skin.

He started to stand, and she clung to him tighter. "Don't let go of me," she said, sounding a little scared.

"Not a chance," he said, carrying her to the bed she'd been in before. He set her down and pulled a blanket over her, and then sat down next to her, stroking her hair away from her face.

She fell asleep soon after that, but before she did she had a thought.

This was what they were fighting for. They were fighting for the right to live, the right to be friends and to comfort each other and to fall in love.

All thoughts in her mind ceased for a moment as she realized that it was true. She really couldn't deny it anymore, especially considering the warm feeling the thought filled her with. Especially since denying her true feelings for the boy-the man, now that she thought of it-who was taking such good care of her seemed like a betrayal of his trust, even if he didn't know that was what she was thinking. She stopped for a moment, and just let it sink in, let herself really think it and feel it for the first time.

She was in love with Ronald Weasley.

**A/N: And she admits it. Yay! I'm sorry if I overdid the stuttering a little bit. I was going for the sobbing effect. I hope it didn't seem too terribly fluffy...**


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